Lewis Hamilton has promised it will be a "rollercoaster" ride after leaving his comfort zone to join Ferrari.

The seven-time world champion made the switch from Mercedes, where he spent 11 years, to Ferrari for the upcoming 2025 season.

Hamilton won the most recent of his crowns in 2020 and finished seventh in the drivers' standings last year.

Ferrari, meanwhile, have not had a champion since 2007, but Hamilton is aiming to end both waits in the latest chapter of his career.

"The step I've taken, I knew it was a massive challenge. That's exciting," Hamilton told ESPN's SportsCenter. "I'm getting out of my comfort zone. 

"I was comfortable where I was. I'd been there for many years, knew the environment, knew when and when I couldn't turn up.

"I knew how everything worked. I'm coming into this new space and it's so, so different. It's a different culture, a different language.

"And it is a massive challenge but I love the challenge, I always have, even since I was a kid. That's what spurs me on."

The best commute in the world pic.twitter.com/EaoyuLUuYm

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 20, 2025

Hamilton is set to make his much-anticipated debut for Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March.

The 40-year-old has signed a multi-year deal with F1's most successful team and accepts it might take a bit of time before he hits full flow.

"I'm conscious that everything doesn't have to happen in the first day or the first month," he said. 

"I'm here for more than a year and we're going to go on this rollercoaster journey together. 

"It's going to be a rollercoaster ride, but a really fun one. And we're going to make it great."

Juan Manuel Fangio, Nigel Mansell, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso all won on their debuts for Ferrari.

Hamilton claimed just a single race win in his maiden campaign with Mercedes, though, and is aware of the challenges ahead.

"The biggest challenge is getting ready," he said. "I remember in my previous team I joined, it wasn't until six months until I won my first race.

"It takes time to build relationships, to build trust with everybody, to understand how an organisation works, how people are tuned to work.

"I would say that's the biggest challenge is how can I blend in with this team? How can I merge with everyone here?"